Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-04-22
HOW scuLPToRs WORK.
Description OF the Best-KDown and Most
Popular system of statue-Making.

Popular system of statue Making.
Several great sculptors, Michael An
CELLO among them, have occasionally
hewn their statues straight out of the
block of marble, without going through
the preliminary courses of modelling in
clay and casting in plaster. But this is
rarely done, for, in the first place, the
work would be too long for any artist
who has regard fol- his time, and in
the second, the hewing of the marble
demands special practical experience
which makes it an art apart. A sculp-
tor would probably spoil bundled
blocks of marble before making as
much as statuette foot high, were
he to trust only to himself in the mat
ter. Even Michael Angelo, when he
tried to dispense with the ''statuary,"
or practitioner. succeeded only in
making fragments of figures. Not be-
ing an adept in judging of the size of
the block he needed, he was con-
stantly finding that he had miscal
culated. and that an arm, leg, or
head must remain unfinished in
consequence. The ''statuary," who is
often an artist of great merit. and pos
sessed of as much talent in his way as
the sculptor in his, sets the plaster
model on platform, measures it, and
places it side by side with block of
marble OF the requisite height and
breadth. This done, he applies to the
model an instrument of mathematical
precision, by which he obtains the de-
tailed measure of every part and angle
of the statue. He then returns to the
marble, and roughly sketches on the
outside of it, by means of points, sort
of outline of the figure or group. Upon
each of the spots where he has marked
point with his pencil. a W orkman
bores hole with an awl, taking great
care, however, not to bore fraction
of an inch deeper than he is told.
the sides of the block, and when the
holes have all been bored according to
his directions the marble looks as
| though it had been riddled by bullets.
A second workman then appears with
chiscl and a hammer to hew away the
fragments of marble between the diff
ferent holes and along the pencil lines
drawn as guide marks. This work is
more or less easy as the attitude OF the
statue is simple and fanciful. If the
figure be one of modern parsonage
standing placidly with his arms by his
sides, attred in the clothes of our day
and with nothing eccentric in the po-
sition of his legs, the task offers no diff
ficulties and may be entrusted to very
ordinary workman. But if the subject
be a group or figure in an attitude,
for instance like that of Ajax Defying
the Lightning. the chisel can not be en-
trusted to any but practical hand.
and every blow of the hammer must be
struck with the greatest precaution
The appearance presented by the mar
BILE when the preparatory hewing
has ended, is that of some
person or persons thickly wrapped
up in a shroud. The outlines of
head and body can be vaguely de-
tect.d under the white covering, but
nothing more. And it is not until the
..statuary" himself has set to work
with lis finer chisel and more delicate
hand, that tangible form begins to
emerge from the hard mass. First the
head, then the shoulders and trunk.
then the legs, and then the arms and
hands appear. The arms and hands,
if outstretched, are reserved to the
last; if detached first from the block.
the oscillations caused by the chisel in
hewing the other parts of the marble
,, might shake and crack them. This is
very necessary precaution, and 1t Is
even usual to keep the arms, the fingers
and other projecting parts OF marble
statues continually supported by props
of wood, until the moment when the
work is set upon its pedestal and un
covered.
When the statue is handed over t.
the sculptor so that he may give thu
: final touches to it, there sometimes re
: mains scarcely any thing for him to do
This is the case when the ''statuary" il
himself a first-class artist and can trus
himself to initiate to nicely thu
, slightest details of form and expression
in the plaster model. But such exam
4 pies are rare, less because of the inca
A pacitv of the "statuaries" than b.
reason of the natural desire whlc
every art st has to terminate in perso
I the work he has conceived and begun
b The statue is usually returned to tn
= sculptor in half fin shed state, the hin
: touches, which will constitu's tn
n special beauty of the work, yet remain
d inc to be done. The, most delicate c
]. tools are then employed; slender chisel
d with the finest points; toy hammers
S scarcely any weight, little graters ths
It fit on. something like thimbles, to tn
It top of the foretinger. And to polls
II the marble and smooth it, chamoi
leather, sand-paper. sponges stepped
s oil and the palm of the hand are uset
$ When the work presents a nude figure
# the amount of care needed for the co
e rect modelling of the limbs and muscle
d is inconceivaole Works like the La
r, coon. the Dying Gladiator and tt
II Apollo Belvedere must have cost TT
d makers more trouble and anxiety tina
d any sum of money could repay. N.
3 Mail and Express.
a What He Supposed.
d as Sam Sample still living in yo'